The context: Gov. Mikie Sherrill ran on a platform to lower New Jerseyans’ energy bills (NJ residential rates have risen 7.4% per year over the past five years). So, shortly after winning her race, she directed the state’s Board of Public Utilities to figure out how to reduce costs. 

The reality: The NJ BPU noted that states can only influence about a quarter of a typical bill (which includes the costs of distribution and certain state programs). The bulk of energy bills? Supply and transmission costs…which are controlled at the federal and regional levels. 

Zooming out: NJ ratepayers are set to pay even more—PJM’s capacity auction just brought in over $6B in data center-driven costs. 

P.S. Want to break down your power bill and see where all your precious cents end up? Check out our handy tool here.

The command: ISO-NE has unveiled its ideas to comply with the first step of FERC’s show-cause orders: ensuring it’ll have enough generation to serve new (and existing) large loads. But, as the ISO noted, the region “has not yet encountered significant load growth” from data centers and other mammoth facilities.

Nevertheless, the grid operator proposes: 1) requiring large loads to “bring your own new generation” (BYONG) and 2) excluding large loads from system load forecasts—this could avoid inflating capacity costs, an issue that has hit the PJM footprint particularly hard.

The directive: By the end of September, CAISO and SPP must explain to FERC how they’re coordinating along their “seams” in the Western Interconnection.

Ripping at the seams: The Western grid landscape has changed a lot in recent years. CAISO and SPP have both launched new day-ahead markets, and SPP has expanded its footprint. These shifts have created new market boundaries called “seams,” which prompt trading barriers due to varying rules and procedures.

The stakes: “Bringing CAISO and SPP together isn’t just another procedural step, it’s about making sure our grid operators are aligned, and operations remain coordinated across the region,” said FERC Chair Laura V. Swett. 

Temp check: California IOUs can no longer shut off power to delinquent customers in 100-degree-Fahrenheit heat, as ordered by a recent CPUC vote. The new cutoff: 90 degrees. This decision follows two years of advocacy from consumer group Utility Reform Network.

Next steps: Within six months, these utilities must introduce region-specific temperature thresholds by taking local context (like the number of seniors and children in a community) into account.

The issue: The smoke that’s drifting into the Midwest and East doesn’t just harm people and ecosystems—it can also hinder solar generation. ISO-NE says that these conditions can trigger an up to 40% drop in output from behind-the-meter installations, which makes up the majority of the region’s solar. 

In other New England news: The new $6B Champlain Hudson Power Express line will likely remain, well, offline, through the end of July (after only operating for three days this month). The culprit: “A fault with the terrestrial cable” on the US side, according to Hydro-Québec, which operates the 339-mile line’s Canadian portion.

What happened: As we’ve previously reported, ratepayers have their eyes on utility profits—and states are taking action. In Indiana, for example, the state’s Utility Regulatory Commission is investigating utility ROEs and “trackers” (which enable companies to recoup some expenses right away).

The context: Gov. Mike Braun has been pushing the IURC, along with investor-owned utilities, to lower Hoosiers’ bills.

What’s next: The IURC is considering performance-based financial incentives for IOUs and calling for them to double customer assistance programs.